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Computer Games and the Classical World

So, I'm a Classicist, and I doing some research looking at depictions of the Classical World in new media.

One of the things I would like to look into is the classical world in computer games, and trying to save my subject from people who insist on writing about it who have never actually played the game and have no real knowledge of computer games and the processes behind decisions and whatnot (they generally just treat it like films and there are different things going on which actually make a difference in this area of reception studies).

While I've managed to get a pretty hefty list through my own knowledge and some google-fu, I know that you guys on PA will know of a load of games I've never even heard of.

If you know anything, can you post the title and console the game's on (and if you want to let me know how it uses depictions of the classical world it will be a help as a starting point).

EDIT: to save from any confusion, Classical World = ancient Greece and Rome

EDIT 2: It's not just setting, but any game that uses any aspect pertaining to ancient Greece and Rome (i.e. mythology, character names, etc). Also, it doesn't matter if it was the worse game to have been vomited up upon this earth, that's actually quite useful in terms of the topic, though if there are decent games, that's also good

BobCesca on May 2009

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firewaterwordTighter than R. Kelly in his teens.Registered Userregular

I think you might run into a bit of a problem. Most games are more akin to pulp than anything resembling classicism. Part of that is that the entire hobby is predicated on a sense of action - input that results in on-screen happenings. Typically it takes the form of violence, which is at odds with the sort of formal restraint exercised by classicists.

Sure there are games that are classics, beautiful, or well designed - there might be some that qualify as literature or art, but I don't know of anything classical.

I think you might run into a bit of a problem. Most games are more akin to pulp than anything resembling classicism. Part of that is that the entire hobby is predicated on a sense of action - input that results in on-screen happenings. Typically it takes the form of violence, which is at odds with the sort of formal restraint exercised by classicists.

Sure there are games that are classics, beautiful, or well designed - there might be some that qualify as literature or art, but I don't know of anything classical.

Titan Quest is a hilariously bad example of the use of the classical setting. The first act of the game takes place in a version of ancient Greece in which all of the traditional mythological monsters have started rampaging around killing folks. As the nameless hero, your task is to carve a bloody path of destruction through satyrs, centaurs, wild boars, and cyclopses while doing quests for such luminaries as King Leonides of the Spartans and the Oracle of Delphi. Then you go off to Egypt and kill jackal-men and alligator-men and the undead, which is still somewhat mythologically accurate... then in the next act you're running along the Great Wall of China. There's no time delay in the game, it's not like long years have passed during your adventure, it's "Woo here I am in the newly-built Acropolis of Athens" to "Hey now I'm on the motherfucking Great Wall killing yetis." Oh, and along the way, you also plunder Khufu's tomb in the Great Pyramid, battle your way through the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, and fight Emperor Qin's terra cotta soldiers.

It's like the makers of the game just had a checklist of every remotely noteworthy event or location from classical times and kept adding stuff until they could tick everything off.

I'm here to tell you about voting. Imagine you're locked in a huge underground nightclub filled with sinners, whores, freaks and unnameable things that rape pit bulls for fun. And you ain't allowed out until you all vote on what you're going to do tonight [. . .] So you vote for television, and everyone else, as far as your eye can see, votes to fuck you with switchblades. That's voting. You're welcome.

Zeus: Master of Olympus, and the Caesar series for PC. These are city builder games set in ancient Greece and the Roman empire. Zeus also has a heavier emphasis on the Greek mythology with the gods actually wandering the streets of your cities.

BioShock is also worth looking at. The person you communicate most in the game is named Atlas, and acts as your guide.

Ehh, aside from the name there's really no direct link that I see between Bioshock and study of the classical world. That character's name is a reference to Atlas Shrugged, and while Ayn Rand's book does use a classical metaphor (Atlas letting the weight of the world drop from his shoulders), it doesn't have much to do with classical studies beyond that.

No mention of Shadow of Rome for the PS2? Half the game is an extremely gory third-person action game. A A very small part of that is with the Roman army, and the rest is gladiatorial matches including a few chariot races. The other half of the game is basically Metal Gear Rome. Lots of stealth and behind the scenes politics.

Concerning video games, the use of classically-based mythological creatures can be seen in just about any fantasy RPG ever. Golden Sun has many of its more powerful attacks named after classical figures, with a slight relevance. For example, the second most powerful attack is named Charon, and it technically summons the ferryman of the Styx to attack foes, though it's kind of a Japanified version.

age of empires 1 and playing certain epochs in empire earth 2, as well as rome total war etc, if you're going for rts'. If you're doing classics you'll probably appreciate how cool god of war 1 and especially 2 is more than most people. Sure its not that accurate, but its cool playing through that era and beating the shit out every mythological character you come across.

Concerning video games, the use of classically-based mythological creatures can be seen in just about any fantasy RPG ever. Golden Sun has many of its more powerful attacks named after classical figures, with a slight relevance. For example, the second most powerful attack is named Charon, and it technically summons the ferryman of the Styx to attack foes, though it's kind of a Japanified version.

This is something I'm really interested in as I know that Classical mythology is quite popular in Japan and is used in RPGs and such that I'll never have heard of.

In general, it's trying to get a feel for how the ancient world is used in games.

hey Cesca, I sifted through my free MMO list for games with a classic theme. I'm not going to list games that have mythological creatures, because in that case you might as well play any fantasy game ever.

One JRPG I would like to mention, though: Shin Megami Tensei, there's like 20 games of 'em, and I've only played the free MMO adaption for a week or two, but the basic premise is that there are demons and you either kill them or make them into your pets. Some of these demons and the gods they relate to are based on Ancient Greek/Latin gods/titans/etc. There is a LOT of mythology to that game, by the way. Egyptian, Hindi, Shinto, Latin, Greek, Norse and some I couldn't place.

Anyway, free MMOs:

Gladiatus
In-browser RPG that puts you in the codpiece of a gladiator who kills everything that looks creepy.

Atlantica Online
A stunning looking TBS offering a persistent world in which guilds can control cities. You can control up to 27 characters on the battlefield whom you can tune just like you want to. However, they age and lose power when they get older. That makes important to keep attracting young blood to fight for you.

Ikariam US/Ikariam int.PA threadWiki
Free in-browser empire building game wherein you take control of a Greek city state. The game is still in development, but it is a really smooth experience and it offers quite a lot of depth without becoming needlessly complex. There are also a few dozen rules to make people play fair, so you don't have to fear total annihilation while you're asleep.

Human Age
Rewrite 10,000 years of history in this in-browser management game.